India-China border face-off ends, armies withdraw

Ladakh: China and India have simultaneously withdrawn their troops from the face-off point at Daulat Beg Oldie near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh. Sources said the agreement was reached after intense negotiations via diplomatic channels and the modalities were worked out at a flag meeting between Indian and Chinese commanders today.

The National Security Advisor briefed the Prime Minister about the withdrawal, which sources said, was completed at 7:30 pm on Sunday .

"Am glad behind the scenes tough negotiations worked with China rather than public bluster," RPN Singh, Minister of State in the Home Ministry, tweeted this morning.

This ends the deadlock that began when Chinese troops set up camp 19 km inside Indian territory in the Depsang Valley near the LAC, the de facto border. Soon after, India set up its own post just 500 metres away.

Both sides have now withdrawn their troops to positions held prior to April 15, the "status quo" that India had pushed for and China had not agreed to in three previous flag meetings.

Earlier last week, sources had told NDTV that India, unhappy with the way the negotiations were progressing, was considering cancelling External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid's upcoming trip to China. Mr Khurshid himself had said that he couldn't "predict with certainty" whether he would be travelling to Beijing for his scheduled visit beginning May 9.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Premier, Le Keqiang, is scheduled to visit New Delhi on May 20.